Mums and dads are children's superheroes

Forget Superman and Spiderman, mums and dads are children's real-life superheroes, according to a poll.

It suggests that "superpowers", such as being able to talk to Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy, and knowing what children are up to without seeing them, leave youngsters in awe of their parents' abilities.

The survey asked around 1,000 UK four to six-year-olds to pick their real-life superheroes from a given list.

The most popular answer was mum, chosen by half of those polled (50%), followed closely by dad at 44%.

The third most popular answer was grandma, with 8%.

Asked about the powers the grown-ups in their life have, two in five (41%) agreed that being able to talk to figures like Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy is a superpower, while nearly a third (31%) cited the ability to "see me even when they're not looking at me".

A similar proportion said being able to hear a child even when they are whispering is a superpower (30%).

The poll, commissioned to mark the launch of Superzings - Rivals of Kaboom, a children's collectible range, also shows that more than half (52%) of children agreed that firefighters have a real-life superhero job, while 45% said police officers and 43% said doctors.

When it comes to the powers they would like for themselves, children would most like to be able to fly (41%), the survey found, with invisibility and the ability to run "superfast" second on 26% each.

Ben Harper, director of Magic Box Toys, said: "Given the daily heroics of our emergency services, it's fitting that children see them as real-life heroes. It's a particular thrill to see how highly mums, dads and teachers are regarded by their children too."

:: The Research without Barriers online poll questioned 1,030 four to six-year-olds from January 12-16.